Two individuals involved in the fatal shooting of a 60-year-old man on an expressway nearly four years ago, while both were on pretrial release for prior firearms offenses, have entered guilty pleas. Joshua Concepcion, 22, and Alexis Perez, 20, received sentences of 15 years and 12 years, respectively, as per court documentation.
On November 18, 2021, at approximately 4:19 a.m., Federico Bautista was en route to his job in McKinley Park when Perez, driving a stolen Jeep and heading in the opposite direction on Damen Avenue, made a U-turn to pursue him, according to prosecutors.
Once on the Stevenson Expressway, Perez allegedly aligned his vehicle alongside Bautista’s car as they traveled inbound near Loomis Boulevard. Prosecutors state that Concepcion discharged 14 bullets from the back passenger seat of Perez’s stolen Jeep, hitting Bautista once in the shoulder and twice in the abdomen.
Bautista’s vehicle came to an inert halt on the shoulder and remained there for 90 minutes until a passerby noticed signs of gunfire and alerted the authorities.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Concepcion allegedly rendezvoused with two associates, brandishing a handgun while boasting about having shot someone on the expressway, as stated by prosecutors.
In a series of Facebook messages, Concepcion purportedly questioned Perez about disposing of the Jeep, to which Perez responded that it was in his garage. Concepcion warned him that he would “f*** up” Perez if he ended up being charged with murder solely due to Perez wanting to keep a stolen vehicle.
Ultimately, investigators located the Jeep and discovered Concepcion’s DNA on the interior door handles and rear passenger side, according to prosecutors. They also found gunshot residue in the rear passenger area of the Jeep, and location data from cellphones placed Concepcion at the scene of the shooting.
During the ongoing police investigation, Perez was shot, prompting discussions with officers regarding Bautista’s murder. He opted to remain silent during these interactions.
Both individuals have now pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in exchange for the sentences handed down by Judge Timothy Joyce. With good behavior, they’ll be eligible for release after serving half of their respective terms.
Tim Hecke is CWBChicago’s managing partner. He began his career at KMOX, the iconic news radio station in St. Louis. Following that, he worked at various stations in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City. Tim later developed syndicated radio news and content services that catered to all of America’s 100 largest radio markets. He became CWBChicago’s managing partner in 2019.
You can reach him via email at tim@cwbchicago.com.
